


Until Her Time

by J_D_McCormick



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Ace's death, Bruce comforts a dying girl, Episode: s02e13 Epilogue, Gen, just some soft sads for you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 11:02:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16262867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_D_McCormick/pseuds/J_D_McCormick
Summary: "He sat with her until her time came..."(Bruce comforts Ace in the time before her death.)





	Until Her Time

**Author's Note:**

> I refound [ this clip here ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh4ksjfHA_w) that always tears my heart to shreds and I decided to make it Worse

Bruce and Ace sit side by side in silence for a time, her hand tiny in his. She is silent as she thinks, and Bruce allows her that, simply sitting as a silent statue of support. He’s not sure what is going through her mind. He knows what it’s like to have your childhood taken from you by the cruelty of others – he doesn’t know what it’s like to be 13 and know, without question, that you are about to die.

Bruce feels Ace’s hand tighten a little in his – a small twitch, but he looks over anyway. The girl is sagging against the chain of the swing.

“I feel sick.” She mumbles. Her head nods a little, and she squeezes his hand again. He stands from his place on the swing beside her, and gently gathers her to his chest, lets her curl there and hold weakly to his suit. He sits down again, on the swing she had been on. “My head hurts.”

“It’s okay. You’ll feel better soon.” He says softly to her. Ace makes a soft sound, turning her face into his chest. He strokes her hair gently, and rocks back and forth on the swing, slow and gentle motions.

“What do you think it’s like after you die?” Ace asks. Her voice is hardly a breath – she sounds tired.

“I don’t know.” He answers her truthfully. “But I have always hoped it was nice. That there is a better place than this, there.”

“You think I’ll be allowed to go to a nice place? Even after all the bad things I’ve done?” She asks. He can hear the waver to her voice – the fear, the held-back tears.

“Yes.” Bruce tells her. He says it like he could believe nothing else. He gathers her a little closer, cradles her head to his chest. He resists the urge to hold her tightly, grip onto her as if he can keep her there by sheer force of will and a good hold.

“I hope there’s people there to play with.” Ace says. Her words are slurring now. Bruce hates knowing that she’s dying, knowing why and knowing how and knowing that he can do nothing about it. That he can do nothing but sit there with her and count away the seconds and hope that, maybe, because he’s there, she doesn’t feel scared to go.

“I’m sure there will be. Plenty of friends for you to make, plenty of children for you to play with.” He murmurs. “Big parks for you to make into any playground of your imagination.”

Ace smiles a little at that. A moment later she winces hard, shutting her eyes tight against a pain, and then she slumps. Her hand drops from his suit, limp over her stomach. He feels her breathing under his hand – quick and shallow, weak, each breath just a little slower to come than the last. He presses his cheek to her temple and keeps talking.

“You will go to a beautiful place, far away from CADMUS, and anyone who would hurt you.” He whispers. “You’ll be able to spend all day having fun, playing real games. You’ll be happy, and safe, and you won’t ever have to be scared again.” He turns and presses his lips to her forehead, soft. She doesn’t respond at all. “Rest well, Ace.”

He feels her chest move against his, hears her little puffs of breath. In, and out, and in, and out, and-

She stops breathing. He moves his hand, just a little, and feels the place where a fluttering heartbeat should be; it is still. He continues to hold her, and he doesn’t think about the way his hands shake.

He sits, and swings, and cradles the body of a broken little girl to his chest as the reality she created slowly fades around him.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback, as always, appreciated!


End file.
